1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording color images, and particularly to a method and apparatus for recording color images in which color information in the input data on color image formation is converted into color information for image recording on the basis of the input data on color image formation to form and record an image pattern.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional methods and apparatuses for recording color images typically have a single predetermined method and apparatus for recording images and only one means for converting color image formation data into color information for image recording in accordance with the image recording means.
High-quality image recording apparatuses include image recording apparatuses each of which is provided with plural different image recording means as image recording means, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
FIGS. 6 and 7 shows, respectively, recording methods in which an image is recorded by using a recording head which is capable of recording 4 dots at a time in the longitudinal direction and 1 dot in the lateral direction.
In the recording method shown in FIG. 6, the recording head is moved horizontally so as to successively record image portions each having 4 dots in the longitudinal direction and 1 dot in the lateral direction, and the head or recording paper is then moved so that the head is moved longitudinally by 4 dots with a positional relation between the head and the recording paper. The head is again moved horizontally so as to successively record image portions each having 4 dots in the longitudinal direction.
On the other hand, in the recording method shown in FIG. 7, the recording head is moved horizontally so as to record every other dot in both the longitudinal and lateral directions, e.g., record the black dots only shown in FIG. 7 when the head is placed at a scan position 71, and the head (or paper) is then longitudinally moved by the length of half of the longitudinal length of the head, i.e., for a length corresponding to 2 dots , so as to record the remaining dots, i.e., record the white dots only as shown in FIG. 7 when the head is placed at scan position 72. When this process is repeated, the whole image is recorded. Namely, black dots are recorded at scan position 73, and white dots are recorded at scan position 74, thereby recording an image in the same way as the recording method shown in FIG. 6.
Thus, it is known that interlaced recording, as shown in FIG. 7 will produce a higher quality recording than non-interlaced (normal) recording, as depicted in FIG. 6.
A comparison of the above two recording methods shows that the method shown in FIG. 6 has the fault that the dots recorded are superimposed or separated due to irregularities in the longitudinal movement of the paper or the recording head during each horizontal scan of the recording head, thereby sometimes producing a remarkable lateral-striped pattern.
An advantage of the method shown in FIG. 7 is that the remarkable lateral-striped pattern produced in the scanning direction of the recording head, i.e., the horizontal direction, by the method shown in FIG. 6 is not so pronounced, although the method has the fault that the scan time of the recording head is doubled, increasing the recording time.
An apparatus for recording color images which is provided with two means for respectively realizing both recording methods so that one of the recording means can be selected according to the desired printing state, and the required level of the result of printing is thus selected.
However, the above two methods produce different recording results even when the same color data is used.
The difference in the recording results, which is caused by a difference in the methods, is due to the following:
Printing all dots at one time causes mixing of adjacent dots. In contrast, recording every other dot during one scan using a recording head to record adjacent dots with a time deviation corresponding to one scan prevents adjacent dots from being affected by each other because the adjacent dots are recorded after the first recorded dot is stabilized by drying, fixing and the like.
However, a conventional apparatus which is capable of recording using plural recording methods has only one color conversion means for converting a color component in the color image formation input data into color information for image recording and thus uses the same color conversion means for recording an image for whichever recording means is used. This causes the color of the record result to be changed in accordance with the particular recording method selected.